Liam’s arm tightens around me as I stare blankly at my dad, confused by what the hell is going on.
He’s always planned on giving me his empire.
Actions and words.
It makes sense and maybe deep down I always knew, which is why I continued to prove myself.
My breath shudders as my dad hands me everything I have worked so hard to earn. Everything that was already mine to begin with. Only what he taught me through his lessons is what prepared me for my climb to the top.
My dad gave me an extra layer of skin to blunt the harsh reality a female leader would face in the underground. He gave me the willpower and drive to prove wrong everyone who doubts me. He built me into fucking titanium, no matter how hard it must’ve been for him.
“Daddy,” I breathe, willing the tears building to kindly fuck off.
My dad gives me a tight smile and steps into me, pressing his forehead against me.
“I love you, baby girl, and I know you’ll show the world just how powerful you are,” he says to me. “What girl power really fucking means.”
At that, I snort like the fucking lady I am, frantically brushing away a tear that escapes and trails down my cheek. My dad places a soft kiss on my forehead and moves back to his spot in the center of our family.
The fucking heart and soul of it.
Donovan comes over and beams at me. I choke on a laugh as he shoves me in the shoulder slightly. Such a simple sibling move but to me I hear it for what it is and not what others may see.
I love you, Demon Spawn.
I’m proud of you.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your leader,” my dad says concluding his speech. “Malia Alya Olin.”
One by one, I see people begin dropping to the ground. My mouth nearly falls along with them as every single person in this room stares up at me while kneeling.
Accepting me as I rise as their leader.
I meet every eye, seeing them, silently telling them thank you. From strangers to people I’ve known my entire life.
I frown when I notice Liam on his knee to my left and my heart lurches.
He better not be trying to… No.
I’d kick him in the face for doing something so basic in a moment like this.
“Get up idiot,” I snap, but it loses its bite thanks to the laugh that escapes with my words.
Liam chuckles and shifts back to his feet. He towers over me, smiling, his eyes sparkling as he bears witness to my one and only dream becoming my reality. He cups both sides of my face and dips down to claim my lips.
This moment isn’t just for me. It’s for both of us.
Because he also rises as my equal. My partner. Accepting this life as his own in front of the only people who matter.
Liam breaks away from me as the sound of heels clack on the marble flooring and bounce off the walls of the large space. Everything inside me comes forward with the need to slay the one demon who was the cause of every shit sandwich I ate in life.
Tawny’s blonde hair bounces around her as she stalks toward me, her eyes locked on mine and a devilish smirk on her lips.
I can hear everyone standing at attention when they realize who’s striding down the hall toward us. How she got in here without being noticed, I don’t know, but it’s smart. Hazel would be the only one to realize if any of her security measures she put in place had been tampered with, but she’s here standing as an Olin beside my brother.
My mother isn’t ignorant to the secret passages we have throughout the house, so her being on the second level already is less surprising.
She walks towards us knowing she won’t be leaving today, which is confirmed as every person trains their weapons on her and her smile only grows.